The three pillars of student voice and choice in the classroom

The journey to implement student voice and choice while maintaining effective classroom management starts with knowing exactly what you want students to take ownership of. Here we will highlight three of the most common areas where more voice and choice can easily be embedded.

1. How they Learn

The path to deep understanding is different for every learner, which is why student voice and choice in learning strategies can boost engagement while still keeping classroom routines intact. We see it everyday in classrooms. Lightbulb moments go off at different times through different techniques. Creating space for voice and choice in how they learn allows for growth to happen faster, and more often. Students will also gain autonomy skills to advocate for how they learn best by determining how they are reaching their academic learning targets.

2. How they Show What They Know

Capturing authentic learning is important in any classroom. Embedding student voice and choice into an assessment can lead towards a more authentic showcase of growth. Showcases can be as varied as options such as comic creation all the way to video production. Providing authentic choices that align with learning standards ensures engagement and supports positive classroom management. Using multimodal tools gives students flexible options (like video, audio, and drawings) to demonstrate understanding in creative, personalized ways.

3. What they Learn

Allowing students to have voice and choice in what they learn, while keeping within academic boundaries, is a powerful way to build ownership without losing classroom control. Whenever providing choice in what is learned, keeping the focus on the learning target is critical. Allowing students to make a choice within the academic parameters you outline is a common starting space for educators. For example: when studying biomes, allowing students to choose a biome from a list is an easy way to allow choice while staying focused on the learning target.

Implementing more student voice and choice in your classroom

The roadmap for how you embed more voice and choice is not a one size fits all system. Every classroom functions differently and each group of students have different needs. Below are examples of types of tasks that commonly embed more voice and choice in elementary classrooms. Tools like Seesaw’s multimodal learning features make it easy to provide choice without sacrificing structure, letting students express learning in the way that works best for them.

Low Risk Tasks

• Choice boards during core instruction time that allow students to choose the order in tasks
• Would you Rather games during morning meeting
• Student polls about what they are interested in learning more about

Medium Level Tasks

• Student led conferences
• Flexible seating environments where students choose their seating
• Reflective journaling as a self assessment tool

High Level Tasks

• Student designed unit discovery
• Peer coaching or teaching support
• Student government systems

How do give power, but keep order

By this point, you can see that student voice and choice can thrive in your elementary classroom, without sacrificing classroom structure and behavior expectations. Just because students are making more choices, does not lead to a lord of the flies classroom. Common methods to keep order in your classroom while allowing for choice include:

Set Clear Boundaries

Building guard rails in your classroom helps students to have freedom without going off track. When providing choice, it is important to have guard rails in place. Keeping the focus on a learning standard keeps students academically on track. Building and practicing time management structures allows them to progress on tasks more effectively. Setting up sound respect and teamwork principals ensures that students are safe and respected during learning tasks.

Scaffold Choices

Giving students the keys to the kingdom right away will most certainly lead to disaster. Starting small with micro choices builds understanding within students for how to successfully navigate academic choice. Classrooms around the world find success in slowly lengthening the time you allow students while adding more complexity to their choices. This gradual release of responsibility builds these skills in children with fidelity and will lead to more positive outcomes.

Assessing and Accountability

Ensuring progress is being made is one of the most important elements of keeping order. Teachers who embed more choice often have regular check in’s with students. These can be daily or weekly but keeping tabs on how students are progressing is important. In addition to check in’s, many classrooms also leverage self monitoring systems. A daily share of what they completed that day not only helps the teacher to monitor progress, but also teaches students to reflect on their learning.

Your classroom, their learning

Embedding voice and choice is about shifting responsibility in strategic ways, not giving away the keys to the kingdom. When student voice and choice is paired with intentional classroom management strategies, your classroom becomes a place where students matter more, learn more, and feel empowered to take charge of their education.

Your classroom becomes a place where students matter more. 

The post How to Give Students More Control Without Losing Yours appeared first on Seesaw | Elementary Learning Experience Platform.

The elementary landscape

An elementary classroom is a vibrant place. Students are filled with energy and excitement and all have unique interests. Students’ minds are developing in front of your eyes. With this development comes wide academic development diversity. The varied academic needs of students create a challenge for educators to which systems like UDL can be an answer. Leaning into research based systems ensures you are meeting academic needs through means that are proven effective.

Why universal design for learning in the classroom leads to long-term gains

We live in abstract works, and our Elementary students are concrete thinkers. Students need to touch, see, and dive into concepts with their full selves. Exploring fractions through pizza slices, engaging in storytelling are developmentally necessary. The emphasis that UDL puts on multiple representations is a natural fit for this age. Play, exploration, and structured choice fuel elementary students’ engagement. It leans into their natural curiosity and growing autonomy.

Flexible learning opportunities should also lead into flexible expressions of understanding. It is often difficult to capture accurate pictures of students’ understanding. A specific example is the gap between students’ fine motor skills and foundational literacy development. Traditional assessments may not capture students’ understanding accurately. The result of providing space for alternative assessment methods such as speaking, acting, building, or drawing can lead to more accurate pictures. Getting to the root of what students truly understand should be your goal with any change in assessment.

Universal design for learning examples in elementary classrooms

Imagining how UDL can look in an elementary classroom is easier than you think. You are likely doing many things already that are unlocking universal design without even knowing it.

Morning Meeting

This is a practice that many elementary classrooms take on. It involved a class coming together at the start of the day and covering various daily routines such as weather, counting, day of the week, special days of the year and more. This routine is a great example of how one activity can tap into all three pillars of UDL. Students are engaged by engaging with their classroom community, they are representing numbers with various manipulatives, and they are communicating efficiently with each other.

Math Workshop

The same can be said for math workshops. This involves students completing various math tasks in stations or centers that relate to a core math skill. Students are engaged through independent and small group activities, they represent numbers through writing, manipulatives, or technology, and express their understanding to each other and not just their teacher.

The unexpected outcomes of UDL in elementary

The expected results of UDL are predictable. Higher achievement, more happy students, and less behavioral problems. There are other commonly seen benefits that come with implementing UDL.

The largest is self advocacy. This is a powerful skill to gain at any age and one that is transformational to learn in elementary. Students who are able to navigate their own growth are destined to have higher achievement down the road. Classrooms also see stronger community and inclusivity through UDL strategies. Catering the classroom around accessible opportunities and positive community will certainly result in these benefits.

The final benefit commonly seen is teacher growth. This skill is developed from the role the teacher plays in a strong UDL led classroom. They are less of the keeper of information and more of a guide for students’ growth. This opens up more opportunities to do more of what teachers do best, teach each student as an individual.

Your next steps in UDL

Starting your journey in universal design learning is easier than you think. Here are three quick actions for you to start with:

• Identify moments where you can offer students more choice. Once identified, build in one additional choice and expand from there.
• Reflect on your classroom community and rethink the routines you have in place. Wherever possible, work to build a positive culture.
• Reflect on how you capture student learning. Are you gathering an accurate picture? How can you ensure this is reflective of student understanding.
• Explore the UDL guidelines from CAST. Lucky for you, Seesaw’s partnership with CAST is easy to digest and a powerful starting point for you.

Want to get started? Try creating your first universal design for learning lesson by incorporating student choice, flexible assessments, and multiple ways to access content with Seesaw.

The post UDL in Action: Designing Lessons That Reach Every Learner appeared first on Seesaw | Elementary Learning Experience Platform.

What your teachers are actually worried about

Many teachers aren’t resistant to AI because they refuse to try new things. They worry AI applications “for teachers” will replace them or expose gaps in their teaching. One of the most common fears about AI is that it will replace teachers, but AI classroom tools for teachers are designed to enhance, not replace, their role. The truth is the opposite—AI should support teachers, not replace them. Classrooms are deeply human spaces.

AI should automate tasks that can be automated, giving teachers more time for the human side of education. Your teachers need reassurance that these applications won’t replace them but will enhance instruction and lighten their workload. Give them permission to explore without pressure to be perfect.

What you’ll hear from families

Families will come with questions and concerns, especially if you are being proactively transparent about the use of AI in classrooms – so you should have answers ready. Some will ask how these AI applications are helping their child academically, or how their screen-time will be increased with the use of these applications. Parents may be completely resistant to AI and may ask that their child not use it. Some parents will be advocates, especially if they are familiar with the benefits of these applications in their workplace.

Be ready with clear, simple answers. Creating an FAQ or hosting family education nights are great first steps. Parents want to hear directly from you about how AI in elementary classrooms can improve student outcomes, and they want you to highlight the benefits clearly and positively. Find answers in our AI implementation best practices.

The reality of getting started

Like any new tool or curriculum, AI implementation strategies for school leaders require careful planning and time.. You can’t simply parachute in a new tool and expect it to succeed. Give teachers time to experiment, reflect, and grow their understanding. Even if you’re learning just ahead of them, lead with curiosity and empathy.

Your Teachers Need Encouragement and Guidance

Teachers will look to you and your team for guidance. Even if they don’t say it, they trust that the applications you approve are worth their time. They want to know their effort will pay off in their classrooms.

Lead with confidence and positivity. Create spaces for collaboration and honest feedback so teachers feel supported as they learn.

The Best Approach is an Integrated One

Every new technology takes up instructional minutes, and too much can reduce teaching time. Use those minutes wisely. Start by checking whether the applications you already use offer AI-powered learning features for K-5. Partnering with familiar vendors can create a win-win: teachers keep the applications they know while gaining more value to instruction from AI enhancements.

Common Pitfalls of AI

To avoid any missteps, keep an eye out for some of the most common pitfalls:

• Over-relying on AI and removing human intervention from the classroom
• Implementing too many applications, too quickly, or allowing full freedom for teachers to access the applications they think they need
  • “I feel like it’s happy hour all over again with all of the AI tools, but for K5 we are using Seesaw and that’s our official LMS.” – Joshua Ehret, Instructional Technology Specialist, Wichita Public Schools, KS
• Focusing on just technical training of how to use tech and not embedding t pedagogy, instructional design, or practical classroom applications
• Making the assumption that all AI applications are safe, equitable, and unbiased

When done right, AI can help

AI in classrooms can improve student outcomes. These applications can give teachers time back, streamline decision-making, and eliminate monotonous admin tasks. But the success of this technology depends on your leadership.

Prioritize support and sustainability over speed and novelty. When you champion the right AI applications, you’re not just adopting technology, you’re leading the way in AI strategies for elementary schools that build better learning environments. Learn more about AI-enhanced instruction for schools to lead with confidence.

The post What School Leaders Need to Know About AI-Enhanced Instruction appeared first on Seesaw | Elementary Learning Experience Platform.

This guide breaks down four of the most common types of assessment in elementary: diagnostic, formative, summative, and performance-based. Each type of assessment comes with real-world classroom examples to help you visualize how this educational assessment is put into practice. If you’re looking to build confidence in your K–5 class assessment strategies, Seesaw is here to help!

Diagnostic assessment in education

What it is: A diagnostic educational assessment is used before instruction of that specific content is delivered. This is designed to assess prior knowledge, strength, and areas for growth within that specific learning target. You can then use the results of this type of assessment to deliver targeted instruction after this knowledge is gathered.

Class assessment example: It is the beginning of the year, and students are coming into school for the first time. The teacher welcomes students and then has them work on a single page of math problems. This page is strategically designed to diagnose what math facts students are proficient with and which they are not. After the class completes this assessment, the teacher uses a key and guide to put students into groups based on the math facts they have yet to master.

Summative assessment in education

What it is: A summative educational assessment is given at the end of a unit or a term to measure students’ mastery of content they were taught. This is often used for grading and reporting on progress toward mastery of academic standards.

Classroom assessment example: A 5th grade science class has just finished learning about natural disasters. Students spent time building dioramas, experiencing simulations, and presenting about each natural disaster. To close the unit, the teacher uses a summative assessment unit from the curriculum as a measure of growth. This class assessment is a few pages long and is a comprehensive measure of understanding about natural disasters. The teacher scores each assessment and reports this in the schools grading system that is made transparent to families.

Formative assessment in education

What it is: Formative educational assessments are ongoing forms of assessment that happen during instruction. They are designed to monitor students progress, and address misconceptions, extend knowledge, and provide purposeful feedback. This type of assessment then helps inform the next steps in teaching.

Classroom assessment example: A kindergarten teacher is working on sight words. The students practice each word as a group, and are then tasked with practicing writing the words on their own while the teacher walks around providing support. After the lesson, the teacher asks the class to share how they felt about writing these words on their own. The students close their eyes and hold up a thumbs up or thumbs down. The teacher gathers this, along with their observational data, and uses this to gather a small group later in the day to support writing these sight words.

Performance-based assessment in education

What it is: A performance-based educational assessment is where students demonstrate their understanding through something they create. This can be a product, a task, or a performance. These are often open ended scenarios that relate to real world applications, perfect for primary grade evaluation that values creativity and communication.

Classroom assessment example: A 3rd grade class is learning about communities and the roles of community helpers in social studies. Instead of a written test, the teacher assigns a project where each student chooses a community role (like firefighter, doctor, or librarian) and creates a short skit, poster, or interview presentation. Students present their work to the class, showing what they’ve learned about that helper’s responsibilities and contributions. The teacher uses a rubric to assess content understanding, creativity, and communication skills.

How to Become an Educational Assessment Pro

1. Leverage tools that automate your workflow. No matter what type of assessment you’re using, tools that streamline the process help you focus on what matters most: teaching. Many K–5 class assessment strategies can be enhanced through digital tools that save time and organize data efficiently.
2. Balance your approach. Relying too heavily on one form of educational assessment won’t give you the full picture. Embed different class assessment types throughout the year to build a more complete understanding of student progress.
3. Be mindful of over-assessing and under-assessing. Measuring growth takes time and balance. Formative class assessments should happen daily to guide instruction and prevent misconceptions, while summative assessments should happen at the end of a unit or term to evaluate learning over time.
4. Consider your students’ learning styles. Students don’t always show what they know the same way. Emotional, developmental, and environmental factors can influence their performance. Use your professional judgment when reviewing data. Sometimes, what looks like a lack of understanding is actually something deeper.

Assessing What Matters

Assessment in education is about so much more than testing. It helps teachers understand their students and refine their craft. From diagnosing readiness to measuring mastery, these elementary assessment types give you the insight you need to teach smarter, not harder.

Seesaw’s flexible assessment tools have been created to  help teachers embed best practices into their year. Your students will grow, your instruction will improve, and your confidence in K–5 assessment strategies will soar.

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This blog will walk you through 12 powerful reasons why educators choose Seesaw as their trusted and secure AI tool. There are of course many reasons beyond these 12, but we will let you discover those on your own after falling in love with our tools.

1. It’s Part of a Trusted Tool

Teachers already rely on Seesaw as a classroom cornerstone for communication, student portfolios, and learning engagement. Seesaw’s AI features are thoughtfully embedded within this safe and familiar platform. This means educators can access helpful automation without having to learn a new tool, wasting precious classroom minutes.

2. It’s Easy to Use, Just Like Seesaw

Seesaw’s AI-powered features are designed with simplicity in mind, just like the rest of Seesaw! Whether it’s quickly translating a message into 100+ languages, or getting suggested assessment questions through the Question Assistant, the experience is seamless and intuitive. There’s no learning curve or technical complexity, just benefits to classrooms around the globe.

3. Students’ Information Is Secure

Seesaw’s commitment to data privacy is industry-leading. AI features are built with student protection at the core. Data is never used to train AI models without explicit consent. Seesaw ensures every AI application aligns with strict safety, privacy, and abuse prevention policies, so educators can confidently get the most benefit from Seesaw. Seesaw is a leader in AI tools for student data privacy in education, ensuring teachers never compromise safety for convenience.

4. Students Never Interact Directly with AI

Unlike tools that put generative AI directly into the hands of students, Seesaw ensures that young learners never engage directly with AI systems like chatbots or text generators. Instead, every AI-enhanced experience in Seesaw is mediated by a teacher, creating a protective buffer that maintains security and developmental appropriateness.

5. There’s Always an Adult in the Loop

AI in Seesaw never operates on its own. Whether it’s translating messages or suggesting questions, there’s always an educator reviewing and deciding how and when to use the content. This “adult in the loop” approach ensures Seesaw’s AI features support, and not replace, teacher judgment.

6. It Was Designed for Elementary Learners

Many EdTech products are designed for older students. They have complex user interfaces that allow for complicated and robust work products. When they are asked if they have a solution for elementary students, they will often retrofit this interface for younger students and more often than not it is not the ideal solution. Seesaw is different. From the beginning, we were built for elementary classrooms. Our intentional design is reflected in our AI tools. Building safe, purposeful, and helpful tools for elementary classrooms is what we do best.

7. Educators Stay in Control with Human Edit and Override

Teachers always have the final say. Any content generated by AI, like an assessment question or reading fluency score, can be edited or overridden. This ensures that technology serves its role as assistant and not director. For example, if an automatic reading score doesn’t reflect a student’s true performance, the teacher can adjust it based on context.

8. Safety, Privacy, and Abuse Prevention Are Built In

Seesaw’s AI applications don’t just meet safety standards, they exceed them. Every use of AI undergoes a rigorous review process aligned with Seesaw’s privacy policies. Abuse prevention systems and clear safeguards are in place to protect all users, especially young learners.

9. Consent Is Respected

Unlike some platforms that use data by default to improve their AI. User data is never used to develop, train or fine tune third party AI models. Before using any customer data to train proprietary AI models, Seesaw will get your explicit consent. This gives schools and families peace of mind and transparency, and aligns with Seesaw’s core values around maintaining student safety and family trust.

10. Seesaw’s AI Is Designed to Save Teachers Time

Time is a teacher’s most valuable resource and Seesaw’s AI is designed to protect this precious resource Whether it’s automating tedious transcription for reading fluency assessments, helping scaffold instruction with Read-with-Me tools, or suggesting formative questions aligned to curriculum goals, Seesaw’s AI gives teachers more time to teach, reflect, and connect. Seesaw’s AI features were designed as AI tools for teachers to save time, helping educators focus on students instead of repetitive tasks.

11. It Makes Learning More Accessible

From language translation to audio narration, Seesaw’s AI features break down barriers to access for students and families. Multilingual families can stay in the loop with machine-translated messages. Emerging readers can benefit from highlighted audio support. With AI, Seesaw extends its mission of equitable learning further than ever. By offering language translation and audio narration, Seesaw stands out among AI-powered classroom tools for accessibility.

12. AI Tools Were Designed with Curriculum Experts

When building educational tools, it is important to ensure these tools will have impact. The Seesaw AI tools are co-designed with curriculum experts with decades of experience. This collaboration ensured the tools designed fit into classrooms, schools, and districts with more purpose.

Making a thoughtful choice

AI tools promise many things. Time back, less work, better student achievement, and so on. These benefits need to be carefully weighted against the safety, ease of use, and overall philosophy of the edtech provider. Learn more about how Seesaw puts safety, ease of use, and student learning at the center of Seesaw AI.

The post 12 Reasons to Choose Seesaw as Your Trusted and Secure AI Tool appeared first on Seesaw | Elementary Learning Experience Platform.

Seesaw Updates

*Updates here span all subscription levels

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Updated July 10, 2025

New Layout for Teachers, Students and Admins

Our new layout features a streamlined left side panel. This panel gives you quick access to your classes, messages, saved activities and library. It also makes it easier to view your account settings, switch accounts, and access help.

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Teacher Homepage

A new landing page when teachers log in to Seesaw that is a step above the Class Journal.  The idea is to give teachers a space to go to for information and understand the use cases of Seesaw before they land in the class journal.  

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Library Updates

Search improvements get teachers to high-quality, ready-to-teach lessons faster by providing easier navigation, filters, and improved search. 

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Seesaw Instruction & Insights 

Exclusive Updates

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Updated July 10, 2025

Focus Mode Update – Disable Individual Drawing Tools

You asked, and we listened! Provide students with even more guidance in Focus Mode by selecting which drawing tools students are available to students.

Admin Learning Insights Dashboard

Equip instructional leaders with deep learning insights to make data-driven decisions. Monitor how students are performing on standards and gain visibility into what standards are being taught using Seesaw. 

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School & District Library Collections

School and District Library Collections will allow admins to bring their scope and sequence into Seesaw, helping them customize their use of Seesaw to align with their school and district initiatives. Teachers can browse the curated collections in a space they already utilize, helping save valuable time!

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Read-with-Me

AI-powered guided reading with built-in scaffolds. This tool narrates passages with word-level highlighting, supporting emerging readers and Multilingual Learners by reinforcing the connection between spoken and written language.

 

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Reading Fluency Assessment Tool

This powerful tools gives teachers hours of time back. Students record themselves reading and our AI powered assessment provides teachers with valuable data on accuracy, words correct per minute, and specific reading challenges.

Teachers have the ability to override machine-generated accuracy scores to ensure fair evaluations.

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Free Response Assessment Type

The Free Response Assessment Type adds additional flexibility to Seesaw AI assessments by allowing teachers to collect open text responses to formative assessment questions. The tool allows for manual grading and autograding and provides aggregated response data in reporting.

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Focus Mode 

Focus Mode makes any activity align to the developmental level of the students completing it by helping to minimize distractions and ensuring students respond in the appropriate and desired formats.

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Question Assistant

Effortlessly generate and deliver AI-Powered Assessments – all within Seesaw. The question assistant was added to the activity creation page called “Generate Quiz”

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Flexcard

Flexcard expands the way teachers engage with students! Flexcard offers more customizability and variability in activities to meet the unique needs of your classroom. Flexcards can contain text images and voice, or a combination on each side with up to 30 sides. 

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Seesaw for Schools Updates

*All Seesaw for Schools updates are included in Seesaw Instruction & Insights

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Updated July 10, 2025

Creative Tool Enhancements 

You asked, we listened! Creating new activities is easier than ever with the ability to select multiple objects at once and move, scale, apply styling, and bulk lock/unlock on the creative canvas.

 

Activity Templates 

Save time creating new activities with simple reflection and assessment templates in the custom activity creation flow.

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Quarterly Digital Portfolio Activity Templates

Guide students to showcase their learning with ready-to-assign templates, perfect for conferences!

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Admin Engagement Dashboard

Gain deeper insights into how students, teachers and families are engaging on Seesaw. 

Get visibility into teacher and student activity on the platform, number of activities assigned, how many families are logging in, and more! 

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Sitewide Standards

Sitewide Standards allows schools and districts to localize to their state/region standard sets. This saves teachers time and makes all places within Seesaw easier to use and more personalized.

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Standards view on the Progress Dashboard Tutorial  ->

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Capture your year

My Year Scrapbook

Many classrooms create scrapbooks of the work they completed during the year. These can be individual scrapbooks from all subject areas or a whole class archive of the learning they achieved. Creating a scrapbook can take any shape or form that you would like it to. Some common scrapbook inclusions are:

• Favorite assignments or projects
• Photos from class events
• Personal growth milestones
• Academic achievements
• Friendship memories

Creating scrapbooks encourages students to think about their experiences this year and practice organizing these thoughts. Paper scrapbooks can be shared through digital tools such as Seesaw adding powerful layers to paper based projects.

Highlights Collection

This collection of Seesaw lessons offers timely journal pages where students can reflect and capture their best work. These lessons vary in format from a quarterly reflection on each subject, to individual subject based pages. Regardless of the lessons chosen, students have the tools to deeply reflect on their growth.

As this is a Seesaw activity, students have the benefits of the creative canvas. They are able to upload videos or photos of their work and add powerful layers such as audio recordings or drawings. These layers create robust posts that can be used for years to come. Families can save these and listen to their child’s best work for years to come.

Create together

Class Mural

A mural is one opportunity to allow student creativity to blend with reflection. Murals can take on different forms. From painting, to photo walls, there is no one way to create a mural. Allow your classroom to decide on what the focus of the mural should be and let them create. Your teacher’s heart will be filled when students decide to create a mural on the laughs they had this year.

Reflection Activities

Guided conversations are a great way to reflect on the school year but they can sometimes lack the excitement you are seeking. Don’t worry, Seesaw is here to help! We created an engaging conversation activity that is sure to keep your students engaged while facilitating deep conversations. Questions you will may uncover include:

• “What’s something you learned this year that has nothing to do with school?”
• “If you could relive one day from this school year, which day would it be and why?”
• “What moment made you laugh the most this year?”

These reflections are easy to use and student friendly leading to rich and joyful conversations as you start to reflect on the year. 

Celebrate achievements

Classroom Talent Show

Talent shows are great ways to allow each individual student to shine just one last time. You may be surprised to discover a special talent that has been hidden the entire year! Talent shows don’t have to be limited to musical or performative contributions, they can be whatever you want. Alternative talent show themes might be:

• Academic presentations
• Unique hobbies or skills
• Time machine talents
• Talent tag team
• Minute to win it challenges

Thank You Messages

Reflecting on the year would not be complete without expressing gratitude. From creating paper notes and letters to sharing a video recording, there is no wrong way to do this. Focus any thank you message on the growth your students were able to achieve.

• Letters to family members
• Notes to other teachers or staff
• Appreciations for classmates
• Video messages for school administrators

Sharing thank you messages builds gratitude and helps students recognize the community that supported their growth.

Final thoughts

The end of the school year does not have to be a time of disengagement. Use the remaining time to make a final memory with your students. Create something special that will carry these students through summer and be something they remember forever. Honor the growth that was achieved this year, celebrate achievements, and prepare students for their next chapter.

If you take one thing away from this post, know that there is not a wrong way to close your year. Any activity you choose should maintain student engagement, provide closure to the year, and serve as a bond for the community you created. Send students off to summer with a sense of accomplishment and enthusiasm for what is to come.

The post Creative End-of-Year Reflection Activities for Students appeared first on Seesaw | Elementary Learning Experience Platform.

Imagine the moment a young learner unlocks a new skill. Not just any skill, but one that will enhance their ability to communicate and understand the world around them. The joy and confidence that shine through as young students become skilled, critical, and fluent readers motivate and inspire early elementary educators all around the world. By leveraging the Science of Reading in elementary classroom, we can create literacy experiences that empower every student to discover the joy of learning.

What is the Science of Reading

The national conversation on the Science of Reading has spotlighted a comprehensive body of research from educational researchers, cognitive scientists, linguists, speech and language pathologists, and teacher researchers on how best to support early literacy. While this body of research continues to grow, it has identified several key areas that, when explicitly and systematically taught, can support students as they develop these 5 essential literacy skills: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.

1. Phonemic Awareness

Phonemic awareness is the oral and auditory ability to identify and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken language or words. Many students enter school thinking of words as whole units. To begin their literacy development, students must understand that each word can be broken down into smaller units. Supporting a child’s understanding of phonemic awareness helps them realize that each word is made up of a series of sounds. Educators can adopt various activities to support phonemic awareness instruction. These may include alliteration exercises, where students orally create silly sentences or lists within a certain theme using words that start with the same sound. Oddity tasks with picture cards can help students identify similarities and differences between sounds in the context of words. Phonemic manipulation activities such as correcting intentional errors in stories or solving rhyming riddles challenge students to play with sounds in words. These activities can help make phonemic awareness instruction fun and effective, laying a strong foundation for students’ literacy journeys.

2. Phonics

Once students understand that words are made up of individual sounds, we can begin helping them develop their knowledge of sound-spelling relationships to help them decode words. Phonics instruction teaches students the relationship between sounds (phonemes) and written letters or spellings (graphemes) and how to use this knowledge to read and spell words. Impactful phonics instruction includes a purposeful scope and sequence from high-utility to low-utility sound-spelling patterns, blending activities, dictation opportunities, word awareness activities, explicit instruction on high-frequency words, and access to controlled and/or decodable texts that focus on specific sound-spelling patterns. By systematically implementing these strategies and building in recursive review opportunities, educators can continue to build upon their students’ literacy foundations.

3. Vocabulary

Educators can seamlessly integrate phonics instruction with intentional vocabulary development to create a rich language learning environment that supports word recognition and understanding. Vocabulary instruction involves exposing students to new words in meaningful contexts. For example, alphabet books or letter books can serve a dual purpose; in addition to reinforcing alphabet recognition, they also can serve as excellent resources for vocabulary discussions and expansion. For Multilingual Learners (MLLs) to really know a word, it is important to explicitly focus on three key aspects: the word’s meaning, the word’s sounds and spelling, and the context in how the word is used. Activities such as word sorting and contextual guessing games can further enhance this integrated approach.

4. Fluency

As students become more proficient in applying complex phonics skills to recognize words effortlessly while expanding their vocabulary, they free up more cognitive resources for fluency and comprehension. Fluency is the ability to read connected text accurately with appropriate speed and expression. Fluent readers can focus on the meaning of texts rather than focus on decoding individual words. Modeling fluent reading (such as through read-alouds) is a powerful way to foster students’ fluency. Additionally, educators can integrate fun repeated reading opportunities such as echo reading, partner reading, choral reading, reading to a stuffie, or reader’s theater. These activities, especially combined with controlled or leveled texts, provide students with multiple engaging opportunities to strengthen their fluency in a supportive and fun environment.

5. Comprehension

Research consistently demonstrates a strong connection between reading fluency and reading comprehension. Comprehension, the ability to derive meaning from texts and understand what has been read or said, is the ultimate goal of literacy instruction. As students become more fluent readers, they can devote more mental energy to making meaning of new vocabulary or complex texts. To support students’ reading comprehension, educators can teach and model various strategies such as visualizing the text, making predictions, asking questions, monitoring your understanding, making connections, inferring, retelling, and summarizing. These strategies encourage students to become more active, thoughtful readers who can critically respond to diverse texts. Moreover, it is also important to provide students with opportunities to write about their reading. Incorporating writing activities that connect to their reading comprehension work creates a synergistic relationship between reading and writing skills.

In Summary

By consistently incorporating activities that support phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension, educators can create a more holistic literacy experience for their students. The Science of Reading conversation reminds us of the interconnected nature of literacy development, recognizing that progress in one area often supports growth in others. This integrated approach, coupled with early intervention, continuous review and practice opportunities, and ongoing progress monitoring will help ensure that educators can continue to target their instruction to best meet their diverse students’ needs.

References

Blevins, W. (2017). A fresh look at phonics: Common causes of failure and 7 ingredients for success. Corwin.

Burkins, J., & Yates, K. (2021). Shifting the balance: 6 ways to bring the science of reading into the blanched literacy classroom. Stenhouse.

Duke, N. K., Ward, A. E., & Pearson, P. D. (2021). The science of reading comprehension instruction. The Reading Teacher, 74(6), 663-672. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1993

Foorman, B.R., Chen, D. T., Carlson, C., Moats, L., Francis, D.J., & Fletcher, J.M. (2003). Necessity of the alphabetic principle to phonemic awareness instruction. Reading and Writing, 16, 289–324.

McBreen, M., & Savage, R. (2020). The impact of motivational reading instruction on the reading achievement and motivation of students: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-020-09584-4

Petscher, Y., Cabell, S. Q., Catts, H. W., Compton, D. L., Foorman, B. R., Hart, S. A., Lonigan, C. J., Phillips, B. M., Schatschneider, C., Steacy, L. M., Terry, N. P., & Wagner, R. K. (2020). How the Science of Reading Informs 21st-Century Education. Reading Research Quarterly, 55(Suppl 1), S267–S282. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.352

Saha, N. (2022, December 14.) The Science Behind Decodable Books. Metametrics, Inc. https://metametricsinc.com/the-science-behind-decodable-books/

Suggate, S. P. (2016). A meta-analysis of the long-term effects of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and reading comprehension interventions. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 49(1), 77-96.

The post Unlocking Literacy Success with the Science of Reading appeared first on Seesaw | Elementary Learning Experience Platform.

Our Mission Turn Reading from a Chore into an Adventure

As educators, we have the power to transform reading from a mundane task into an exciting journey of discovery. These five research-backed strategies will empower your students to become confident, passionate readers.

1. Sound Detectives Master Phonemic Awareness

Phonemic awareness is the critical foundation of reading success. It’s about helping students develop the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds in words. By turning sound recognition into an engaging, playful experience, we transform a technical skill into an exciting exploration.

Strategy Aligned Challenge: Turn sound learning into a classroom mission

• Transform phonemic awareness into a game
• Use interactive activities like “Sound Spy”
• Clap out syllables, play rhyming games
• Help students crack the reading code through playful sound exploration

2. Phonics Power Build a Solid Reading Foundation

Phonics instruction is the bridge between recognizing sounds and reading words. A systematic approach helps students understand how letters work together to create meaning. By providing structured, explicit instruction, we give students the tools to decode words confidently and independently.

Strategy Aligned Challenge: Implement a systematic phonics approach

• Introduce letter-sound relationships strategically
• Use decodable books that reinforce phonics skills
• Create a structured path to reading confidence
• Systematically build word-decoding abilities

3. Vocabulary Expeditions Expand Word Horizons

Vocabulary is the gateway to comprehension. The more words students know, the deeper their understanding of texts becomes. Rich vocabulary development goes beyond memorization—it’s about connecting words to experiences, creating context, and helping students express themselves more precisely.

Strategy Aligned Challenge: Launch vocabulary-building adventures

• Read high-quality books aloud
• Engage in meaningful word discussions
• Use visual aids to introduce new vocabulary
• Encourage storytelling that naturally expands vocabulary

4. Fluency Fuel Read with Confidence and Expression

Reading fluency is more than speed—it’s about reading with understanding, expression, and enthusiasm. When students read smoothly and confidently, they can focus on comprehension rather than struggling with individual words. Fluency transforms reading from a mechanical task to an enjoyable, expressive experience.

Strategy Aligned Challenge: Make fluency practice exciting

• Implement paired reading techniques
• Use reader’s theater to boost expression
• Encourage rereading of familiar passages
• Transform fluency from a skill to a performance art

5. Comprehension Detectives Unlock Deeper Understanding

Comprehension is the ultimate goal of reading. It’s not just about recognizing words, but understanding, interpreting, and connecting with the text. By teaching active reading strategies, we help students become critical thinkers who can navigate complex texts and draw meaningful insights.

Strategy Aligned Challenge: Turn reading into an investigative experience

• Teach active reading strategies
• Create comprehension bookmarks with guiding questions
• Practice summarizing, predicting, and connecting
• Encourage visualization of story worlds

The Big Takeaway

This isn’t just about reading, it’s about opening doors to infinite possibilities. Every strategy you implement brings students closer to becoming lifelong learners.

Final Challenge This Literacy Month, let’s celebrate the magic of reading. Every small step brings students closer to becoming confident, passionate readers. Together, we can turn reading from a challenge into a thrilling journey of discovery!

Did You Know?

Seesaw has an Early Literacy curriculum that is a powerhouse of literacy innovation? With over 600 lessons for PreK-2 students, it’s an ESSA Tier IV evidence-based intervention that transforms literacy learning. The curriculum offers unique features like student voice recording for fluency practice, flexible lesson formats in both English and Spanish, and tools that allow teachers to differentiate instruction with ease. Our approach combines joyful engagement with research-backed strategies, making foundational reading skills both accessible and exciting for young learners.

The post Unlock Reading Magic With 5 Literacy Strategies to Try This Month! appeared first on Seesaw | Elementary Learning Experience Platform.

Here are 10 ways Seesaw can support your students IEP and 504 accommodations:

1. Private Notes for Teachers

Seesaw includes a private note feature on each activity, allowing teachers to write or record observations in real time. These notes are visible only to the teacher or co-teachers and can be referenced or shared during IEP meetings to track student progress.

2. Organized Folders for Evidence of Learning

Teachers can use folders to collect and organize evidence of learning, showcasing individual student growth and progress toward goals. Private folders are also available, visible only to teachers and co-teachers, providing a secure space for sensitive documentation.

3. Customizable Assignments

Seesaw enables teachers to assign activities to individuals, student groups, or the entire class. This flexibility supports differentiated instruction by aligning activities with specific accommodations or group needs.

4. Documenting Non-Verbal Communication

Teachers can capture photos or videos of non-verbal students to showcase their development and growth and include these in their digital portfolios. This provides families with a clear understanding of their child’s progress in a way that traditional methods might not.

5. Editable Activities for Individual Needs

Every Seesaw activity can be edited and adjusted to meet the unique needs of individual students. This ensures that all learners have equitable access to the curriculum.

6. Audio Directions Available in Multiple Languages, Multiple Times

Students can listen to audio instructions as many times as they need, with options available in English and Spanish. This helps ensure that directions are clear and accessible for all learners.

7. Support Through Visuals and Modeling

Seesaw offers written directions, visual aids, and modeling tools that help students understand and access content. Assessment and reflection templates also guide students in using the platform’s tools effectively.

8. Multimodal Tools for Demonstrating Learning

Seesaw’s multimodal tools allow students to demonstrate their learning in various ways. Non-verbal students can draw, while those with motor skill challenges can record their voice. This ensures every student can express their understanding.

9. Focus Mode for Reduced Distractions

“Focus Mode” reduces the number of choices a student can select, helping to minimize stress and distractions. This is particularly beneficial for students who need a simplified interface to stay on task.

10. Practice Mode with Real-Time Feedback

Seesaw’s “Practice Mode” gives students a safe space to practice and receive real-time feedback without requiring direct teacher involvement. This builds confidence and independence.

Seesaw Keeps Families in the Loop All Year Long

Seesaw fosters ongoing family engagement through its two-way communication features, which include text translations in over 100 languages. This enables families to stay informed about their child’s progress and see how accommodations are being met year round.

By leveraging these features, Seesaw helps create an inclusive learning environment where all students can thrive. Teachers, families, and support staff can work together seamlessly, ensuring that students receive the personalized support they need to succeed.

Want to learn more about how Seesaw supports Special Education?

If you’re looking to create more inclusive learning environments that meet diverse student needs, view our recent webinar! We’ll show you how Seesaw can transform your approach to IEP goal documentation, family engagement, and personalized instruction.

The post 10 Ways Seesaw Can Support IEP and 504 Accommodations appeared first on Seesaw | Elementary Learning Experience Platform.

Below, we discuss 4 key takeaways from the UK Technology in Schools Survey and how Seesaw aligns to the survey results.

1. Varied methods for evaluating technology effectiveness

The majority of teachers surveyed (63%) reported that they do evaluate technology use, with classroom observations as the most popular method of evaluation. Most survey participants who did evaluate technology used informal or qualitative means to determine edtech effectiveness, such as observations, student feedback, or personal reflection.

Seesaw helps teachers and school leaders track the effectiveness of technology through engagement and learning insights dashboards, making the task of measuring technology effectiveness data-driven, seamless, and straightforward.

2. Digital strategy adoption is increasing at the primary level

From 2020 to 2021, the percentage of primary leaders who said they had a digital strategy increased from 38% to 55%. Digital strategies increase the likelihood that technology adoption and implementation are purposeful. This trend indicates that more schools in England are using technology in a way that supports academic and student attainment goals.

3. Mixed feelings about technology’s impact on pupil attainment

Primary school teachers were more likely than their secondary school counterparts to report that technology had made no difference to pupil attainment (46% vs. 40%). Technology in schools survey report: 2022-23)

As one of the only education technology platforms built from the ground up for primary grades, we understand the challenges that primary teachers face when trying to use technology built for older learners. In fact, we explored this in our Reimagining Edtech for Early Learners white paper. The white paper found that only 25% of teachers believe that edtech was well-tailored to the needs of young learners. Many tech tools currently used in primary schools were initially designed for university.

While some improvements have been made to the design and implementation of technology for primary grades, it’s no surprise that many primary teachers continue to see limited impact on the educational attainment of young learners.

4. Key investment areas align with Seesaw capabilities

Seesaw aligns with most of the areas that primary leaders identified as investment priorities. We dive into each of those areas below:

Support pupils with SEND

According to a survey we conducted in 2023, 95% of teachers believe Seesaw enables them to modify instruction to meet their students’ diverse needs. Seesaw Instruction & Insights includes tools built for primary learners that help teachers differentiate instruction and promote student choice to meet the needs of all learners. Learn more about our capabilities here.

Delivering lessons

Teachers deliver lessons with Seesaw’s flexible multimodal tools and ready-to-teach lessons. From the previously mentioned internal survey, 98% of teachers found Seesaw helpful for delivering engaging instruction and capturing evidence of student progress.

Teacher training and continuing professional development

Seesaw provides flexible professional development options for school leaders to ensure effective technology implementation and promote effective instructional practices. Learn more about our professional development offerings.

Tracking pupil progress

Teachers can track student progress in a number of ways with Seesaw:

1. Pupils and teachers see immediate, auto-marked feedback with formative assessments.
2. Teachers and school leaders can assess class progress against curriculum standards with learning insights dashboards.
3. Teachers, leaders, pupils, and families can track progress with digital portfolios. Portfolio items and numerical marks paint a complete picture of student progress over the course of their primary school journey.

Planning lessons and curriculum content

Seesaw helps teachers streamline lesson and curriculum planning. Educators can use pre-made activities from the Seesaw Library or create their own. Teachers can also organize and categorize lessons for future use, making long-term planning more efficient.

Collaborating and sharing resources with others

Seesaw improves collaboration amongst teachers by making it easy to share activities and resources through Libraries. In School Libraries, here educators can browse, customize, and share lessons with colleagues. Teachers can create and organize collections of activities and resources, ensuring curriculum alignment and the exchange of best practices.

Seesaw supports co-teaching by allowing multiple teachers to manage a class, collaborate on assignments, and provide joint feedback to students. Additionally, Seesaw Instruction & Insights offers school and district-wide libraries where educators can share learning materials, promoting consistency across grade levels and subjects.

Seesaw is trusted and loved by 1.4 million educators, pupils, and families in the United Kingdom. We continue to meet the needs of British teachers and school leaders and have made significant enhancements for our customers for the UK 2024-25 school year. Learn more at https://seesaw.com/uk.

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